AFCON 2025: African coaches guaranteed to lift trophy again

The 2025 Africa Cup of Nations has once again underlined the growing dominance of African coaches, with the semi-final lineup guaranteeing that, for the fourth consecutive edition, an African tactician will lead his team to continental glory.

This remarkable trend follows Djamel Belmadi’s triumph with Algeria in 2019, Aliou Cissé’s historic title with Senegal in 2021, and Émerse Faé’s success with Côte d’Ivoire in 2023. AFCON 2025 now promises to extend that proud legacy.

The last four teams are all guided by African managers: Walid Regragui with hosts Morocco, Hossam Hassan of Egypt, Pape Thiaw of Senegal, and Eric Chelle, the Malian tactician leading Nigeria’s Super Eagles.

It marks the first time in AFCON history that all semi-finalists are coached by Africans. Statistics from the tournament further highlight the impact of local expertise.

Out of the 24 teams that participated at AFCON 2025, 15 were led by African coaches. Eleven of those progressed beyond the group stage, while African-led teams have accounted for an impressive 75 percent of all victories recorded so far.

Beyond collective success, individual legacies are also at stake. Only two African legends — Mahmoud El-Gohary and Nigeria’s Stephen Keshi — have achieved the rare feat of winning the AFCON both as players and as coaches.

Egypt legend Hossam Hassan now stands on the brink of joining that exclusive club if he can guide the Pharaohs to glory in 2025. However, his path is far from straightforward, with a daunting semi-final clash against Senegal scheduled for Wednesday, January 14, 2026.

Later the same day, Nigeria’s Super Eagles will face tournament hosts Morocco in Rabat, as African coaches continue to shape the narrative and destiny of the continent’s biggest football competition.